It is hard to believe that another school year has come to an end. I have thoroughly enjoyed my first year as elementary assistant principal at Shekou International School and want to take a few minutes to reflect on the year as well as consider areas of growth and focus for next school year!

I am extremely fortunate to work closely with our current elementary principal, Jeannie Sung, who allows me to take on a plethora of challenges and responsibilities as I further my craft and skills as an international school administrator. Having the opportunity to work closely with recruiting, budgeting, scheduling, curriculum, admissions, … the list goes on and on … I truly feel as though I am having an impact and making a difference with student learning and teacher instruction.

1. As the school year began, one of my first goals was to provide more training and support for our teacher assistants. We have close to 30 teacher assistants in our elementary school and I wanted to make sure that they were fully prepared as instructional assistants in the classroom. At the beginning of the year I asked what areas they feel as though they needed more training and support. Most of their responses centered around support with: working with small groups of students, classroom management, and technology. One of our teacher leaders and aspiring administrator, Amanda Blankenship, took on the challenge of supporting our TAs and offered teacher-led professional learning once a month throughout the school year. Next year we will certainly keep the momentum going and expand and strengthen the support for our teaching assistants.
2. At the beginning of the school year, I was challenged to increase my online presence and overall reputation within the international school circuit. I began by being more active on Twitter and documenting the wonderful things happening in our classrooms. I interacted regularly with a couple Twitter Chats in order to expand my own professional learning. My first few blogs were intended for my own personal reflection and after a short time I noticed that others were beginning to read my blog as well. I also made an effort to present at international workshops and was able to present on the topic of aspiring administrators at EARCOS and Beyond Laptops. I look forward to presenting this fall at Leadership EARCOS in Kuala Lumpur on the topic of Foundational Leadership: Supporting New Administrators.
3. Supporting new teachers is extremely important in ensuring a smooth transition and providing the support and resources needed for new teachers to feel comfortable and valued. This process starts as soon as new teachers are hired and continues well beyond their arrival on campus. We are able to provide an extensive induction process for our new teachers and I am grateful that at SIS we have dedicated administrators and teachers with similar goals and values. Much planning goes into welcoming new teachers and we tirelessly work together to provide the best learning and teaching environment possible for our teachers.
4. Although at times the admissions process can be tiring and time-consuming, having a hand in the process has taught me much about education and the quality and type of students in our classrooms. We are fortunate to have an excellent Admissions and Marketing Director, Liz Jheeta. Her and I work closely together in reviewing student applications and deciding on the proper course of action. First and foremost, the students are always our top priority, and we need to make sure that SIS is the right fit and that we are able to support all student needs. It is certainly exciting to be working in the best international school in the area.
5. Recruiting is a fast paced and exciting environment and one of the highlights of being a school administrator. There is no doubt that it is stressful and tiring, however, it is a very direct and visible way to truly make a difference with student learning. Hiring quality educators makes all the difference in the world. Again, I am very fortunate to work with a Principal and Head of School that allow me to be part of the entire process. From scanning search databases (International Schools Services), to conducting interviews and reference checks, and finally sending off invitation letters of employment…I am able to be a part of it all. I am also very fortunate to be responsible for the entire hiring process of our teaching assistants.
6. One of my responsibilities was to help support and lead our standardized testing with both MAP and STAMP. I was able to work closely with our Director of Curriculum and Learning, Carlene Hamley, as we fully implemented the testing in our classrooms. Much time and energy was put into communicating with the different testing organizations, planning schedules and timelines, training teachers, educating parents, preparing students, and making sure that the data is used to inform and improve teaching and learning. As this is the first year we have implemented MAP testing at SIS, we will continue to improve and expand the scope of the testing and its overall impact.
7. Our core Student Support Team consists of our learning support specialist (Erin Madonna), counselor (Dallin Bywater), and me. I am fortunate to be able to coordinate this fantastic group of educators as we strive to ensure that all students receive the support they need to be successful and flourish. We meet weekly, formally, to discuss concerns and successes as well as to plan our course of action to support our school community. However, the reality is that we have informal conversations and meetings daily to track student progress, provide teaching materials for teachers, and build a solid foundation for our students and school.
8. The Chinese teaching team and department at SIS is a quality group of educators that care deeply about student learning. They dedicate a substantial amount of time and effort in creating units and lessons and have produced work that has been shared at international conferences. As my responsibility is to help manage and coordinate this team, I spend a considerable amount of time working closely together with them on curriculum, planning, and teaching practices. Our goals for next school year are classroom management techniques, creating clear team expectations, and improving our teaching practices to further support student learning.

Reflecting on the year is also a great opportunity to assess areas of growth and focus for next school year.

1. PYP! Within the next couple of years, our school will apply for candidacy and begin the process of fully implementing PYP. This is an exciting time for SIS. I taught in both the PYP and MYP while living and teaching in Thailand and this will be a great opportunity for me to readily support and lead school-wide initiatives and overall implementation.
2. Innovative and creative teaching, learning, and leadership are guiding factors in my philosophy as an administrator. I look to push the boundaries of education and to think outside the box, while holding steadfast to the foundation and core of educational rigor that SIS has established. Next year I will look for new and innovative ideas to bring to the table as we continue to improve teacher instruction and student achievement.
3. Expanding my own professional learning network will be extremely important in my growth as an administrator. Continuing to Blog, actively using Twitter, and presenting at international conferences are a few of the ways that I plan to strengthen my knowledge and skills and share with others next school year.
4. A few months back I began the journey of obtaining my Ed.D. in Educational Leadership with a focus on Curriculum and Instruction. This process is a marathon, not a sprint, and through hard work and dedication (with the support of family and friends), I will make my way through the program and use the gained knowledge to have a positive impact on student learning.